The Second Task

Harry tossed and turned in his bed; he couldn't sleep! Having Daphne down there in the Black Lake was bad enough, but his brother too? Why did they need two hostages? Sirius had informed him immediately after the meeting about the changes. Not being able to go to sleep, he finally got up from the bed at dawn, pulled on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt for his morning run.

Two hours later, he returned to the Room of Requirement, tired but feeling a lot better. Visualising a bathtub, he let his aching muscles relax as he slipped into the hot water. Half an hour later, he called for a house-elf who provided him with breakfast. Once done, he checked his surrounding to ensure everything was ready, including the hip flask containing the Amphibian Potion. He shucked off all his clothes and put on a pair of tight emerald green swim trunks which he had specifically bought for the task. Wearing a robe to cover himself, he exited the room with everything he needed.

Harry calmly walked across the grounds to one of the boats which led to the judges' podium that was constructed in the middle of the Black Lake. He could see several stands all around the lake and the tens of thousands of people who had come to watch the task. Miller's Mirrors were placed everywhere so that they could watch the champions' progress up close. Harry walked up to where the other champions were standing and flicked his wand to conjure an armchair for himself. He sat down and closed his eyes to centre himself. He needed to focus; he couldn't let his emotions take control of him at such a crucial moment.

Fifteen minutes later, they heard a cannon blast as Lodo Bagman ascended up to the corner of the podium. "Ladies and Gentlemen," he began, his voice booming. "Welcome to the second task of the Triwizard Tournament. All our champions seem to have solved the puzzle of the egg and arrived at the clue given with it. Now, something precious has been taken from each of them and they have two hours to retrieve their hostages. Starting with Cedric Diggory, his hostages are Miss Cho Chang and Mr Joshua Hopkins; Viktor Krum is to rescue Miss Hermione Granger and Mr Abelard Muller; Fleur Delacour's hostages are Miss Gabrielle Delacour and Miss Abella Moreau; and finally, Harry Potter is to rescue Miss Daphne Greengrass and Mr Dylan Lestrange. Champions, get ready!"

Harry removed his robe and gave it to his godfather who was standing behind him.

"Good luck, Harry," whispered Sirius, sounding worried. "Do your best, but don't go looking for danger."

"My brother and fiancée are down there," said Harry flatly. There was no question in his mind that he would do everything possible to rescue them from under the lake.

He took the hip flask from Sirius and waited. When there were just a few seconds left, he drowned the potion; the cannon blast signified that the task had started. Already gasping for breath, Harry dived into the lake, soothing his newly formed gills.

"Lumos!"

A bright ball of light appeared at the tip of his wand as he swam forward. He only had to concentrate on the tracking charm located on both Daphne and Dylan's lockets which were tied to the locket he himself had around his neck. He had no idea how the other champions were supposed to find their hostages, but he did not care to find out.

"Both Miss Delacour and Mr Diggory seem to have used the Bubblehead Charm," Mr Bagman commented. "Mr Krum has done a remarkable piece of Transfiguration on himself, turning himself into half-shark. As a world-renowned expert on Transfiguration, I'd like your views on this, Professor Dumbledore. Mr Potter is the mystery because I saw him drink some sort of potion, though what, I'm not sure – oh, of course, Master Slughorn, go ahead – an Amphibian potion? You mean he invented a potion himself? At the age of fourteen? Incredible! Do tell me more!"

Down in the lake, Harry was swimming towards one of his targets when he encountered an illusionary ward. Scanning it, Harry was impressed. It gave off a feeling as though whatever was on the other side would be a tunnel leading him to one of the hostages and if anyone crossed it, it would create a whirlpool, swallowing them. If not for his advanced Occlumency, he would have fallen victim to the ward himself. He tried to avoid it and swim in the other direction, but the trap had been designed very well. He could not avoid it. Ten minutes of trial and error later, Harry disabled the ward and went on his way.

A few minutes later, Harry frowned when he encountered something he couldn't exactly identify. It was a concealment ward, but it was poorly designed. Suddenly, his senses were on alert and just as he turned, he was attacked by a horde of Grindylows. There were too many of them and they were clawing their way through his skin. Harry's eyes darkened in anger as he blasted several of them to smithereens; the concealment ward was merely a ruse to draw the champions' attention away from the Grindylows. The water demons realised that he was not prey and backed off. Cursing himself for not anticipating an attack, Harry hastily applied what little of healing charms he knew to seal the cuts on his body. Once done, he swam towards his target.

"Both Mr Potter and Mr Diggory have managed to defeat their Grindylows!" shouted Bagman. "Mr Potter has once again displayed his talent in ward-breaking! One hour and thirty minutes to go!"

There! He could see it from here. Conjuring a Patronus, he used the thunderbird to provide light as he realised that this hostage was Dylan. Dispelling the Patronus, he used a severing charm on the ropes binding his brother, put an arm around the younger boy's waist and began swimming towards the surface. Suddenly, Harry saw a movement from the corner of his eye. Turning around, it took all his willpower not to scream. In front of him was a massive snake, slithering around in the water. It came towards him, opening its mouth wide.

"Stop! I mean you no harm!" Harry said impulsively. Bubbles sprouted from his lips, but he could detect the hissing sound, even underwater. This was a surprise! The Amphibian potion must have given him the power of speech underwater as well! He would have to investigate this in depth later.

"A speaker!" hissed the sea serpent in surprise. "I have never met one of your kind before. I did not mean to startle you, young speaker. I wanted to eat the fish behind you."

Harry could have laughed if he were not annoyed at the fact that in his moment of panic, he had forgotten that sea serpents do not attack humans. But it was hardly his fault! Anyone who had faced a seventy-foot long Basilisk would feel the same way. Nodding to the massive snake, Harry used an Aguamenti charm to propel himself and Dylan towards the surface. When he was close enough, he let Dylan ascend while he remained underwater.

Just as Dylan's face emerged from the water, he gasped, desperately trying to breathe. He panicked when he realised something was supporting him underwater, but a quick look made him calm down; it was only Harry. Smiling at his brother, he reached down to pat him on the head and swam towards the podium in the middle of the lake, while Harry returned to the depths of the lake to rescue Daphne.

"Look at that!" shouted Bagman as people in the stands cheered loudly. "Harry Potter was the first to reach one of his hostages. Dylan Lestrange has been rescued and he now has to find Daphne Greengrass to finish the task!"

Harry went back to searching for Daphne, letting the tracking charm guide him. Every few minutes, he encountered more wards, traps, and concealment charms; they weren't too difficult to crack but were time-consuming. Moving forward towards the Merpeople's colony, Harry suddenly felt something move rapidly towards him. Turning around, he saw claws just inches from his neck. Kappa! Bloody hell! He could have been strangled to death if he had not been careful!

Firing a jet of boiling hot water at the creatures, he continued on his journey.

"All four champions have managed to rescue one of their hostages!" yelled Ludo Bagman amidst cheers. "One hour down and another to go!"

Harry entered the Merpeople's colony, deep in the lake, and began looking for Daphne. A minute later, he saw her on the other side of the colony, guarded by merpeople. As he was about to cut the ropes, he saw something that made him pause.

"Miss Delacour seems to have been attacked by Grindylows!" said Bagman. "It appears she is unable to continue the task."

"Wait, what's that? Sweet Merlin, send the Emergency Squad immediately! Cedric Diggory has been tricked by the Kelpie!"

Was that a Kelpie? Harry swam towards Cedric who seemed to be riding some kind of horse. It was going lower towards the lake bed. If they reached the bed, then Cedric was doomed as the only thing remaining would be his body parts. Acting on instinct, Harry conjured a bridle and used a Placement Charm to place it over the Kelpie's head. The effect was immediate. The Kelpie stopped moving, looking confused for a moment and Cedric yelped as he leapt off the creature's back.

"Mr Potter has rendered the Kelpie docile!" shouted Bagman. "Cedric Diggory is no longer in danger! Harry Potter is now moving towards his hostage. Well, well, this is certainly interesting, isn't it?"

Cutting the ropes, Harry wrapped an arm around Daphne's waist, pulling the girl up with him. The task was nearly over. Just about thirty feet more and the second task would be done with. That thought had to be put on hold when Harry saw two dozen or more Grindylows surrounding him. They attacked him and Daphne again, clawing at their skin, cutting off any room for escape. Harry was bleeding rapidly from the wounds as he tried to fight back, but his wand arm was injured as well. Snarling in anger, he wandlessly cast a blasting curse at those to the left while, with great effort, cast another blasting curse from his wand.

Leaving the dead and destroyed Grindylows behind, Harry and Daphne surfaced, both of them gasping for air. Daphne winced in pain when she realised that she was injured. Blood was pouring from her wounds as she and Harry swam towards the podium.

"He's done it!" shouted Bagman amidst thunderous applause and cheers. "Mr Potter is the first to resurface with both his hostages well before the time limit!"

Helped by Sirius and Cyrus, the two of them managed to get onto the podium. Harry didn't even twitch or wince in pain, his face impassive as always, but Daphne couldn't help but grimace. She thought her cuts were bad but that was nothing as compared to Harry's!

Once a few spells were cast by the student-healer stationed there, their wounds were sealed, and the two were quickly ushered into the medical tent that had been erected for the champions and the hostages. There were several privacy screens in place and the couple quickly searched for the cubicle that had –

"Dylan!" exclaimed Daphne worriedly, rushing towards the boy who was lying down on the bed, giving him a quick hug. "Are you hurt?"

"Just a few scratches," he answered. "What about you two?"

"Fine," Harry murmured. His face scrunched up in discomfort due to wearing the torn, dirty and wet garment; a moment later, he shucked off his swim trunks and for a good measure, vanished the offending article of clothing.

He turned to his left and saw two pairs of amused eyes looking at him.

"What?"

Daphne and Dylan couldn't help but laugh. "What is it with you and wet clothes?" she asked, her eyes twinkling with mirth. "Even after you cast a drying charm, you still try to get rid of them as the earliest opportunity!"

Harry simply huffed. "I just don't like the feeling of wet clothes sticking to my body, that's all!"

"I'm actually surprised he wore those swim trunks at all," Dylan snickered, grinning mischievously and slapping Harry's toned stomach with the back of his hand. "In the time I've known you, I've never even seen one of those in your wardrobe. You always swim in the nude, Harry, what changed?"

Harry dived to land a smack at the back of his brother's head when they were interrupted by the school's resident healer.

"Break it up, you two!" said Madam Pomfrey crossly. "Mr Lestrange, didn't I expressly tell you to rest?"

"I am resting," said Dylan innocently. "I'm lying down on the bed and everything! You know I would never disregard your orders, right, Madam Pomfrey? And I'm hurt that you would suspect your favourite patient of wrongdoing when the real culprit is my moronic brother."

"Hey!"

Madam Pomfrey kept muttering under her breath as she scanned the newly arrived couple with her wand. Harry could make out a few words like 'hate dealing with' and 'siblings' and 'Weasleys twins'.

Harry was offended. He and Dylan were not as bad as the Weasley twins!

"I've healed all your injuries," she told them a few minutes later. "But don't overexert yourselves for the next day or two. Come meet me if you feel unwell."

With a final glare at the cheeky Lestrange scion, the matron left. The three of them were just about to resume their conversation when a girl with brown hair entered their cubicle. She took one look at Harry who was standing next to his fiancée, arms crossed over his chest, completely unconcerned by his lack of clothing, and her eyes widened.

"Hey, Astoria," he smiled. "Come on in."

"Eeepp!"

Astoria Greengrass dashed out of the cubicle, her face scarlet.

Harry turned to his fiancée and brother in confusion. "What just happened?"

Daphne rolled her eyes. "You're naked, idiot," she said wryly. "What did you think would happen, with your genitals on display for all to see?"

" … Oh."

Dylan snorted. "You're clueless, as always, egghead. Your fan club is going to have new posters for their rooms. They now have unlimited access to the Boy-Who-Lived clad in nothing but a pair of swim trunks."

"At least he was wearing swim trunks. I really believed he would come wearing nothing at all! It wouldn't have surprised me, if he had," piped in Daphne, grinning at her spluttering fiancé.

"I wouldn't do that," Harry protested weakly, unable to deny the fact that that had been his initial plan. Why anyone wanted to wear clothes while swimming baffled him entirely! "I hardly think coming to the second task of the Triwizard Tournament like that would be good for me! I mean, the entire world is watching!"

"Yeah, it would make the headlines, alright," she smirked. "Boy-Who-Lived bares all!"

"Triwizard Tournament turns into a Tristreaking Tournament," Dylan added, grinning wickedly. "I'm sure it would cater to a larger audience with your cock and balls on display. It's still not too late, you know. All you have to do is walk out of this tent!"

"Are you two done?" said Harry in exasperation as they snickered.

Donning a pair of fresh clothes that a Hogwarts house-elf had brought for each of them, they walked outside and waited for the scores. Fleur was awarded thirty points, Cedric forty-five points, Krum forty points and Harry was awarded full fifty points.

"You're in the lead!" Dylan cried excitedly, giving his older brother a tight hug. "You're going to win this thing, I know it!"

Harry smirked. Yes, he would win. They still hadn't figured out who was behind putting his name in the Goblet of Fire, but eventually, someone would slip; and when they did, Harry would take care of them. Whoever was responsible was a dead man walking.

HP*SAVIOUR OF MAGIC*HP

"– Moody's involvement in the Auror Academy is working wonders," said Amelia as she continued with her report. "The quality of the Aurors has increased notably and because of the new incentives, more young witches and wizards are joining the Auror corps."

"Good," said Sirius, as he looked through the several files on his desk, which contained more reports from other departments of the Ministry of Magic. "I don't want us to crumble like we did the last time. Bagnold should have nipped things in the bud when Voldemort started rising, but with most of his Death Eaters being prominent members in the Ministry or the Wizengamot, she took all the wrong decisions. Crouch's tactics came too late and they did more harm than good. If any dark witch or wizard rises again, I want to finish him or her before it gets out of hand."

"Give it another five years and our Auror force will be back to how it was during the Grindelwald war," said Amelia reassuringly.

"Now, any news on Bertha Jorkins?"

"None," Amelia grimaced. "I had no clue of her disappearance until word spread throughout the Ministry. Apparently, Ludo Bagman thought she was fine and that she might have ended up in Australia instead of Albania. It was only in December that my department found out about it."

"I really don't this," said Sirius, feeling uneasy.

"Why? I have contacted the Albanian Ministry of Magic, but they have no news yet. I've heard that her memory is quite loose. It seems unlikely, but maybe she went to the wrong place by accident and something happened ..."

"Listen, I knew Bertha Jorkins. She was in Gryffindor with James and me, not to mention was Lily's roommate, and let me tell you, Amy, she was an idiot; very nosy, no brains at all and she loved to gossip. You should have heard Lily and Alice rant about her all those years ago. That girl I knew did not have a faulty memory so I'm confused as to how that suddenly happened. It's a dangerous combination and –"

"She might have walked right into the group of Death Eaters?" asked Amelia, eyebrows raised.

"Well, I certainly wouldn't put it past Bellatrix to kill her," said Sirius grimly. "But what purpose would that serve? She's a lowly employee at the Department of Magical Games and Sports; she doesn't have access to any useful information, classified or not. I just don't see the point!"

They sat in silence for a minute. "Any news about the Death Eaters?" he asked quietly.

"None. Our sensor net is still operating at peak efficiency so we would have known about it in case they had come back to Britain. It now includes that underwater tunnel between England and France, so there is no coming back. So we'll have to infer that they're still abroad."

"It's not like her, Amy," said Sirius, feeling quite frustrated. Getting up from his chair, he began pacing. "I know Bella; she would not be this quiet unless she is planning something. We were raised as siblings all our lives, so I know in my gut that she's up to something, but I can't put my finger on it. What about the pardoned Death Eaters?"

"Nothing to report. They have been quiet, minding their own business and playing on the Wizengamot as usual. Sure, they have some shady deals here and there, but it's nothing to be concerned about. Oh, and Walden Macnair took an extended leave of absence, I heard."

Sirius waved his hand dismissively. "He has enough leave built up over the years and it's not like his job is that important," he said.

"Keep at it," he said heavily. "I'm still looking for the locket. I swear, I wonder what Regulus did with it! It's the last one! If we destroy that, there is no chance of Voldemort ever coming back!"

Amelia sighed as she closed her eyes. "When have our lives ever been easy?"

Sirius snorted as he rubbed his temples. He didn't know how Fudge enjoyed this job. Being the Minister of Magic was very demanding but he knew that he would be at this post for a long time; at least seven years. He might as well get used to it.

HP*SAVIOUR OF MAGIC*HP

Harry's face was a blank mask as the dozen practice dummies surrounded him. His wand swished and swirled in the air as curses flew from the tip of his wand. When most witches and wizards in the world used magic, their spells usually had colour. This was because they didn't have much control over their magic, diluting the spells. Magic itself in its pure form did not have any colour. When it was not focussed enough, the spells when it comes into contact with anything outside the caster develops into a colour. However, experienced wizards like Dumbledore and Voldemort had enough control to decrease the amount of light being produced, thus increasing the power and efficiency of the spells. The only testament to the magic being cast would be ripples in the air. This was a technique which fascinated Harry when he watched the memories when Voldemort practised it. Using the Dark Lord's technique, Harry tried it himself.

Harry avoided the jets of light coming towards him, creating a full-body shield to protect himself. He dodged and cast several curses at them, destroying them. Harry had prepared a timetable on which subject he would practice each day and today was the Dark Arts. Twisting in mid-air, a pale jet of green light impacted the last dummy, blasting it to smithereens.

He panted, a smirk slowly forming on his lips. Finally, after too many failed attempts, he had managed to cast the Killing Curse silently. It was quite an achievement because most could not cast the curse at all and to do it silently was spectacular – not that anyone would appreciate it. He did not understand how the Killing Curse was worse than plenty of other curses the Dark Arts offered. At least it was nothing gory like the Blood-Boiling Curse or the Organ-Liquefying Curse.

It was now the end of May and Harry had been training non-stop since the day of the second task. He used every opportunity he could get to study or train, occasionally missing out on sleep as he browsed Voldemort's memories. But there lay the problem – the more he watched, the more he felt sorry for Tom Riddle.

The two of them were so similar yet so different ... if only Tom had not split his soul, he might have gone on to be one of the greatest leaders of his generation. Instead, he let his fear of death cloud his judgement as he succumbed to the temptations of immortality. Every ritual had a price and immortality by the means of splitting his soul snatched away Tom Riddle's sanity.

Tom had never been able to control his emotions much. Unlike Harry, he had been a natural at Legilimency like Dumbledore, so being Muggle-raised, it took time for him to learn Occlumency. But since he had split his soul at the tender age of sixteen, his impressive Occlumency barriers he built up in his later years were useless against the raw anger he could not control. Instead of waging a political battle as the primary offensive and backroom murder as a last resort, his insanity had led him to start a war that killed thousands of witches and wizards and more Muggles as well. He had transformed from a boy who wanted to help the magical world to a monster who wanted to destroy it.

But that was where the conflict arose. Harry had seen memories of Tom Riddle when he had been human and he couldn't bring himself to hate him. Riddle had become his mentor, his teacher, as Harry learnt extensively from the memories. Watching Tom Riddle struggle to rise up the ranks of society made Harry admire him; here was yet another wizard who had been abused by Muggles, shunned by wizards, and yet managed to remain strong.

Tom's life had not been easy. His early days at the orphanage were terrible as it had been for Harry and Dylan and being raised during a time of war was never easy. It wasn't so bad when he was a baby, but when the incidents of accidental magic started, things became worse – just like how it had happened to Dylan and Harry. It began small, like bursts of magic when he was angry or upset; these were handled by magical parents when they knew what to look for, but Muggles were not equipped to deal with or raise magical children. Orphanages were already poorly staffed and funded, not to mention the caregivers were not always the best, especially during wartime, leading to bullying problems. Tom's incidents of accidental magic lead to the matron, Mrs Cole, to panic.

Just like how the Dursleys had forced it on Harry, just like how the matron at the orphanage had forced it on Dylan, Mrs Cole had also forced Tom to undergo an exorcism when he was five years old. All three boys had been scarred by that incident and none of them had ever spoken about it to anyone ever again; until Harry had mentioned it to Dylan and vice versa. That one incident managed to break Tom Riddle, making the young child forever lose trust in his caregivers, making him hate them – just like how it had happened to Harry.

When school started, he immediately became the top student in the incoming class, but not all were impressed with him. Teachers doted on him, while others did not like the way he grasped everything so quickly. Jealousy was a dangerous emotion, and in the small, poorly funded school that Tom was sent to during his childhood when the Second World War was just heating up, meant that no one noticed. That was when Tom began developing his mask of always being polite, though his emotions did sometimes get the better of him.

But there was another problem – the bullies. News of his strange powers had spread throughout the orphanage, especially after the failed exorcism, and he was treated horribly by them. They said that his mother had died because even she didn't want to raise a freak such as him and that he was evil, that he was cursed, and that was probably why his mother died. He was also punished by Mrs Cole for talking back whenever he tried to defend himself, making him colder in the process. Like Harry, there was no one to protect him from his tormentors. He was alone.

Having no one to help him, he had turned to the only alternative he had available to him – the arcane force that everyone said was abnormal. Using his powers, he began retaliating against his tormenters. Billy Stubbs, who had killed Tom's newly discovered pet snake which was in the back garden, found his rabbit dead; Amy Benson and Dennis Bishop who always said cruel things about him and his mother found themselves scared and tortured in a cave by the sea. Children could be mean, but unless they were disciplined, it stuck to them for life. Unfortunately, Tom had no one to help him – unlike Harry – so he grew up to become more hateful.

His Hogwarts letter was a surprise, but not unwelcome. But things were not smooth down in the dungeons. Slytherins did not take kindly to Tom, a suspected Muggle-born, to have been sorted into their House. Tom was shunned and picked on by the older purebloods, but his natural talent with magic, not to mention his ability as a Parselmouth eventually won them over. Soon, he began gathering allies. The Chamber of Secrets incident was not well thought out, but he had survived it, however, the Muggle Second World War had shaken him to the core, enough for him to create a Horcrux at the age of sixteen. The London Blitz was the cause behind Tom's irrational fear of death. When Professor Merrythought retired, he had applied for a teaching post at Hogwarts just after graduation.

He had genuinely wanted to teach.

But it had been denied to him. The anger caused by the splitting of his soul had made him want to seize more power. Tom had then travelled the world, learning all forms of Dark Magic in the process, taking part in horrifying rituals to strengthen his body and magical core. The more he split his soul, the more Tom Riddle disappeared, leaving behind the monster known as Voldemort.

Tom had wanted allies to wage a political battle, doing his best to save witches and wizards from the danger of Muggles, but Voldemort wanted power, only power. Tom Riddle was essentially dead by the time the war was in full swing, with Voldemort destroying anything in his path.

Harry was absolutely disgusted by Voldemort's actions and how he had crippled Magical Britain in his attempt to seize power. The Dark Lord had killed men, women and children without mercy. While Harry respected Tom Riddle as his teacher, he knew that Voldemort was an inhumane monster; a very dangerous monster who needed to be put down as quickly as possible. The atrocities committed by deformed, power-hungry wizard were too terrible to behold; rituals such as the ones Voldemort used were never to be attempted. There was a line that was never to be crossed, and Voldemort had shamelessly broken the laws of Magic which everyone held so dear.

If only they could find that blasted locket. Where had Regulus hidden it?

Harry picked up the Sword of Gryffindor as he continued his training. A sword of similar length was suspended in mid-air, conjured by the Room of Requirement, as it swung at him. Harry dodged and the two metals collided with a clang.

Daphne Greengrass and Dylan Lestrange looked at each other worriedly as they heard the sound of swords clashing against the other. Harry had been pushing himself to the limit over the past few months and they could see that he was getting irritable.

"Something has to be done," muttered Dylan. "Or he'll snap."

"Don't worry," said Daphne with a small smile. "I have an idea."

"I'm not telling him to take it easy!" Dylan exclaimed, holding his hands up in surrender. "The last time I suggested it, he bit my head off and I'm not eager to face my brother when he's that angry."

Daphne shook her head, a small smile forming on her lips.

HP*SAVIOUR OF MAGIC*HP

Harry sighed as he collapsed on the couch in the Room of Requirement after a gruelling sword-fighting practice. He could understand now why Godric loved his sword. It was amazing to fight with it; the rush he got when something so sharp came towards him as he deflected it, the sound of metals clashing against the other, the swiftness and agility needed to attack his opponent – it was exhilarating.

"Finished with your practice?" asked Daphne, sitting next to him as she wiped his face with a cool cloth.

"Ah, thanks, Daph," Harry muttered, as he placed his head on her lap, closing his eyes as he relaxed.

"Harry," said Daphne quietly. "Do you have to train so hard?"

Harry's eye twitched in annoyance but he remained quiet. Daphne simply ran her fingers through his smooth raven locks. Harry moaned slightly as her hands began digging into his scalp, massaging it delicately.

"I'm not going to tell you to slow down," said Daphne softly. "But is it wrong to be worried about your well-being?"

"You and Dylan should know that I can take care of myself," said Harry quietly. "So stop worrying. Both of you should be worried about your end of year exams, nothing more."

"We have that covered. You tutor the both of us so we're ahead of our peers. Now, will you at least allow me to help you relax?"

Harry remained quiet and Daphne found it frustrating that she couldn't tell anything by his blank expression. "And how are you going to help me relax?"

Daphne's face lit up. "Okay, just stay here and keep your eyes closed. I'll be back."

Harry's lips twitched slightly in amusement as she got up. Closing his eyes, within thirty seconds, he was fast asleep. Two hours later Daphne gently shook him awake. "Harry, wake up," she said softly. "Everything's ready."

Harry blinked his eyes when he noticed a door facing him on the other side of the room. He followed Daphne's instructions to the letter, including stripping off all his clothes. When he entered through the door, he realised that it was a sauna.

"This is supposed to help me relax?" asked Harry wearily.

"This is part of the plan, so go with it. Be patient," she explained. Harry's cheeks tinted pink as he saw, to his surprise and elation, Daphne removing her clothes as well. Supremely unconcerned, knowing that he was watching her, Daphne walked inside the sauna and closed her eyes to relax.

They spent twenty minutes in the sauna together, but seeing Daphne in a state of undress excited Harry so it turned into a make-out session right there. Once done, the two sweaty teens took a cool shower together. The room shimmered again, this time turning into a small room filled with candles. A single bed was in the middle of the room along with body oils mixed with muscle relaxing potions.

"A massage?" asked Harry in surprise.

"Yes. Now lie down on your belly."

Harry smiled at her as he lay down on the bed. He closed his eyes and soon felt the warm oil all over his back. Soft hands touched his skin as she began kneading his shoulders. Harry moaned as Daphne slowly worked her way down, releasing the tension from his sore muscles. She massaged his shoulders, spine, and lower back until she gave him a sensual foot rub. Harry had never felt so relaxed in his life! He was so aroused at this point that even the slightest twinge made him moan in frustration. He was dying for a release but Daphne wouldn't even let him touch himself.

After firmly kneading his shoulders, she made him turn on his back as she poured more oil on his front. Gently running her hands over his chiselled chest and abs, she went lower, completely ignoring his throbbing erection. She massaged his legs and went back to his shoulders and by this time, Harry was literally pleading to be touched.

"Please, Daphne," said Harry desperately. "I can't take it anymore. I love you!"

Daphne smirked victoriously. Applying more warm oil to his penis and testicles, she gave feather-light touches until she finally grabbed the shaft in her fist and began stroking it. After having been aroused for more than an hour, it was only a minute before Harry ejaculated, panting hard.

"That was the best experience of my life. And you are the best fiancée one could ask for. Thank you!"

"You're welcome," Daphne muttered against his lips. "Now, are you feeling better?"

"Yes," said Harry, but a smirk formed on his lips. "But it's your turn now."

Getting up, he pushed her on her belly, taking a moment to admire her. Carefully tucking her long hair to the side, he placed gentle kisses on her spine before applying oil as he began massaging her back. Slowly and sensually, he moved lower, applying more oil as she spread her legs. Daphne moaned in pleasure as she felt Harry's finger enter her vagina, stroking her inner walls. Removing his finger, he made her turn, lying on her back. Again, he gently kissed her neck and moved lower until he was sucking on her nipples. Swirling his tongue against it, he switched breasts while constantly fingering her, with his thumb now gently rubbing her clitoris. When he realised that she was close to orgasm, he withdrew, making her whine in frustration.

Laughing softly at her choice of words as Daphne cursed him, Harry poured the warm oil over her front, kneading her breasts firmly. He gently massaged her smooth and flat stomach until he reached the area between her legs. Ignoring it, he went lower until he was giving her a foot rub.

"Please, Harry," whined Daphne. "I can't take any more of this either! This is torture!"

Harry kissed her sweetly. "You did the same to me, didn't you?" he asked in amusement.

Not waiting for a reply, Harry gave her another kiss, his hand moving between her legs. Daphne moaned as she began moving in rhythm along with his fingers. His thumb returned to stroking her clitoris. He sucked on her nipples and Daphne arched her back as she came, her body trembling with intense pleasure.

"I'm ready, Harry," she whispered, panting hard. "Please make love to me!"

"Daphne, are you sure?" asked Harry, looking concerned. "I don't want you to do this because you think I'm stressed."

"Yes, I'm sure! Otherwise, I wouldn't have suggested it."

Harry nodded as he climbed on top of her, kissing her lovingly and passionately. He kissed her neck and nibbled on her earlobe while kneading her breasts.

"Harry, stop fooling around! We've been doing this for more than an hour!"

"Patience, love," whispered Harry, kissing her again as he carefully inserted his thick cock into her vagina. When he was partially inside, he saw Daphne's face scrounge up in discomfort, blood trickling down her inner thighs, but at her insistence, he moved until his hips were flush against her arse. Panting, he pressed his lips to her neck, licking sweetly at her pleasure spot, doing his best to try and ease her pain.

"Isn't there a numbing potion that would help?" he whispered in concern.

"There is, but Madam Pomfrey said it would make the experience less pleasurable for me if I used it, so I didn't."

"Okay. Tell me to stop if it hurts too much."

With that, he slowly pulled himself from her and thrust back. After several minutes of slow and gentle movements, her face cleared as the pain slowly receded. Finding a rhythm, Harry thrust his cock in and out of Daphne while kissing her neck. Her moans were getting louder as she dug her nails into his skin. Harry grunted in pleasure and nibbled on her earlobe. The sound of skin slapping against skin echoed throughout the room and it wasn't long before both of them knew they were close to orgasm. Finding each other's lips, they kissed passionately as Harry increased the speed of his thrusts. The couple moaned in each other's mouths as they climaxed; their bodies spasmed due to the intense pleasure coursing through their veins.

Collapsing by her side, Harry breathed deeply, pulling her close to his chest, his softening cock slipping out of her vagina. Daphne was panting too as they leaned in for a kiss, full of undying love and adoration for the other.

"I love you," said Harry sincerely.

Blue eyes met green as Daphne smiled. Placing her head snugly under his chin, she murmured, "I love you too."

Closing their eyes, both of them entered the dream world as a blanket magically appeared on their bodies, covering them.